Iran Faces a Growing Internal Crisis

-
Image
  By Chuck Wald We have passed the six-month mark of the war between the United States and the Iranian regime. Whatever Tehran’s rhetoric may suggest, its theocratic dictatorship is weaker today than at any point since its establishment in the aftermath of the 1979 Revolution. As this situation continues to unfold, it is increasingly important for Western governments and the broader international community to consider the policies needed to help bring about change driven not by foreign intervention, but by the Iranian people and their organized resistance.  The country’s economy, already suffering from years of decline before the war, is now exhibiting some of its worst indicators in decades, including inflation exceeding 100 percent on key consumer goods. Predictably, these pressures have intensified factional infighting within the regime. The turmoil has been compounded by the loss of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war, February 28.  Khamenei has be...
Post a Comment

Iran Is Global Concern, Says New US Acting Defence Chief

-
By Jubin Katiraie
The Trump administration is working to persuade allies that the ongoing tensions in the Middle East are a global challenge that requires global diplomacy, according to the new acting US defence chief Mark Esper on Tuesday, and “not [just] Iran versus the United States”.
Esper, who is meeting with NATO defence ministers in Brussels, told reporters that he wants to help create a broader coalition to deter Iran’s malign behaviour and compel Iranian officials to come back to the negotiating table for a new nuclear deal.


Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear agreement last May, citing Iranian noncompliance and the deal’s failure to address Iran’s other malign behaviour, and reimposed tough sanctions saying that he wanted Iran to agree to a much stricter deal.
Since then, Iran has been very volatile towards the US and US interests, including threatening to close a key shipping lane, attacking oil tankers, and shooting down a US drone. The US has responded with more sanctions, but Trump vowed the “any attack by Iran on anything American” would be met with a military force that could obliterate Iran.
Esper is supposed to reinforce Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s earlier calls to build a broad coalition that would counter Iran and monitor shipping in the Persian Gulf to deter Iranian attacks. This is vital considering that Europe seems reluctant to embrace the US’s approach, even as Iran prepares to violate the nuclear deal’s restrictions on enriched uranium stockpiles.
Esper, who took over on Monday after the resignation of Patrick Shanahan, said: “This is not Iran versus the United States. This is Iran certainly versus the region, and arguably the broader global environment.”
Esper, who previously was a lobbyist for the defence contractor Raytheon Co., said his goals are:
1) Allies expressing outrage at Iran’s activities
2) Allies supporting support “any range of activities” to help deter conflict with Iran
He said: “This is the reason why we need to internationalize this issue and have our allies and partners work with us to get Iran to come back to the negotiating table and talk about the way ahead.”
Esper, 55, noted that the discussions about creating a maritime coalition are still in the early stages and could not talk about which allies have agreed to participate. However, it is worth noting that Europe is currently warning Iran not to increase its stockpiles of enriched uranium.
Source: iranfocus

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

International Dignitaries Rally for a New Iran Policy, Support NCRI as Democratic Alternative

-
Image
  Written by Shamsi Saadati Paris, France  – On Saturday, May 17, 2025, an influential international conference convened in Paris, uniting parliamentarians and prominent political figures from a wide array of countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Malta, Switzerland, Romania, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The central theme of the gathering was the urgent need for a new, decisive international policy towards Iran, with a strong emphasis on supporting democratic change and recognizing the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as a viable alternative to the current regime. The event served as a significant platform for global lawmakers to voice their concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, the regime’s escalating domestic repression, its destabilizing regional activities, and its persistent pursuit of a nuclear program. A recurring call throughout the conference was for Western governments to adopt a firmer stance, including the ...
Read more

When War Becomes an Excuse: How Economic Pressure Is Being Shifted Onto Ordinary People

-
Image
  By Reza Hoseani Iran’s economic crisis is no longer just a headline — it has become part of everyday life. Skyrocketing prices, the continuous collapse of the national currency, and shrinking household purchasing power are now affecting nearly every segment of society. But an important question remains: Are these hardships truly the direct result of war and external pressure, or are they rooted in domestic economic policies and political decisions? While state media repeatedly blame regional tensions and foreign conflicts for inflation and market instability, many economists argue that the current crisis is driven far more by internal policymaking than by war itself.   War as a Cover for Internal Economic Failure For years, whenever Iran’s economy entered a deeper phase of crisis, official narratives pointed to external enemies and international tensions. However, economic experts say the immediate impact of war rarely causes inflation on this scale in such a sho...
Read more

Intensifying U.S. Economic Pressure: Washington’s New Move Against the Mullahs’ Regime and Its Consequences

-
Image
  By Reza Hoseani Is Washington’s economic fury more effective than military warfare? An examination of the United States’ new sanctions targeting the IRGC’s financial lifelines and their impact on Iran’s explosive social environment. Amid the regime’s paralyzing deadlock between war and restraint, Washington has made its choice unmistakably clear: an all-out economic war instead of a large-scale military war. This choice is not the product of moderation. Rather, it reflects an understanding that economic pressure may be more lethal to the regime, less costly for the West, and more socially acceptable to the Iranian people than military intervention. 1. From “Maximum Pressure” to “Economic Fury”: The IRGC’s Lifelines in the Crosshairs In recent months, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has escalated economic pressure through two new initiatives. First came what has been described as Operation Economic Fury, announced by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He stated explicitly ...
Read more